Driving Green Innovations

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This Earth Month, we’re celebrating green innovations across the auto industry. One of our favorite environmentally friendly advancements in transportation: higher biofuel blends like E15. Found in 30 states across the country, E15 is a cleaner, green fuel choice that works well in cars 2001 or newer. It’s an easy choice that has positive impact on our environment and can help drivers save up to $.10 per gallon.

Read below on more ways the auto industry has made strides in driving green innovation below!

ENGINE:

Start/Stop Technology: During city driving, cars rest at idle, needlessly burning fuel. This fuel-saving concept shuts down the engine while the car is at a stop for brief periods and quickly starts back up once the driver’s foot leaves the brake pedal.

High-Octane Fuel Options: Biofuel-blended fuels – like E15 and E85 – have a higher octane rating than regular gasoline, boosting engine performance. Ethanol is also rich in oxygen, which helps fuel burn more completely and reduces the buildup of residues in the engine, keeping it running smarter for longer.

SOUND-DEADENING:

Recycled Water Bottles: General Motors collects water bottles from many of its plants and converts them into insulation materials.

BODY:

Soy-Based Body Sealant: In an eort to reduce the use of petroleum-based products, Jeep helped develop a soy-based body sealant that is not only more environmentally friendly, but also less costly.

INTERIOR MATERIALS:

Soy-Based Seat Foam: In order to reduce their petroleum consumption, Ford uses soybeans leftover from soy milk production to create the foam found in its seat cushions and seat backs.

Wheat-Straw Storage Bins: Ford uses discarded wheat-straw to create a sustainable bio-plastic. The bio-plastic is used to construct storage bins in many of its vehicles.

Bio-Plastics: Kia uses plastics sourced from cellulose and sugarcane for several trim pieces in the interiors of some of its cars.

TIRES & WHEELS:

Recycled Tires: Vehicle manufacturers, like Ford and General Motors, recycle used tires from testing vehicles for several under-hood and under-body parts like airflow baes and diverters.

Recycled Aluminum Wheels: Nissan collects aluminum wheels from vehicles that are no longer running and recycles the metal into its own suspension parts for new vehicles.

FUEL CHOICES:

Higher-Ethanol Blend Fuels: Biofuels – like ethanol – help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43%. Almost all fuel in the U.S. contains ethanol – and higher blends, like E15 and E85, have even greater environmental benefits. Biofuels replaces toxic fuel additives – like MTBE and benzene – which have been linked to health and environmental concerns like cancer and smog.

Thanks to these advancements, the auto industry makes a positive impact on the environment while allowing drivers to reduce their carbon emissions through innovations like biofuels. To make your drive greener, find a station near you by visiting www.getbiofuel.com/fuel-finder.